Willy Wonka rubbed his temples.
"Good gravy, what have I gotten myself into…"
He leaned his elbows onto the slate control board. His face slumped into a heap between his arms. The Oompa Loompa next to him (wearing the admin office attire) looked on worried. He outreached a peanut size palm to pat Mr. Wonka on the back.
"Oh it's hopeless! I let guilt get the best of me! They will ruin my factory and put me out of business! I'll have nowhere to live, or sleep, or bathe, or make candy, or bathe…"
Before he could finish his ongoing guilt-fest, the admin Oompa smacked him upside the head. Wonka inched forward making an "oomph" sort of sound, a surprised look on his face. Due to the Oompa Loompa's small stature, the beating was none too painful, just enough to get the point across.
"Oh thank you dear, I was getting a little ahead of myself." He tidied up his hair and dusted invisible dirt from his coat front. His deep purple eyes stared intently at the hundreds of screens before him. All monitors were perfectly aligned in a lovely curvature, each one assigned to a specific room in the factory. The tiny room door was shut close behind them so that the two could have all the privacy they needed. Wonka rubbed his glove-adorned hands together deviously.
"Pull up the Gum Processing Room, would you now?" he asked politely.
The Oompa Loompa pressed a green button closest to him and all the monitors shifted to one camera, creating a hundred-screen viewing surface.
On it, was Violet, her blonde hair tucked underneath a black latex swim-cap. She was facing a large conveyor belt that was slowly spitting out small rectangle pieces. She was wrapping each and every single stick of gum by hand.
Her face was in permanent shock. Her mind in a state of panic. Every time she lifted up a piece of gum to place it into its aluminum wrapper, she stared at it. A few times, the gum was merely inches away from her moistened lips, ready to taste again that bubbly pink flavor.
But before she could ever do such a deed, an Oompa Loompa was close by, watching her every move. She whimpered pathetically as she wrapped it and pushed it back along the conveyor belt.
The suffering in her eyes made Wonka squeal with glee.
"Looks like shes enjoying herself, doesn't it?" he turned a chesire-grin face towards the Oompa Loompa. He did nothing but stare back in disappointment.
"What? It's not my fault that she's not right in the head." He tried to defend himself, tone ridden with innocence. He coughed and looked back to the monitor.
"The Television room please!"
The Oompa Loompa sighed and pressed the yellow button a way up on the colorful control board. The screen made a lovely glittering transition to the Television room camera.
The room was almost plagued with a lonely white. There were no Oompa Loompa's present, just a dull, white empty.
Mr. Wonka arched his eyebrows puzzled.
"Would you mind bringing in the camera just a bit?"
The Oompa Loompa nodded and jiggled the joystick to his left. The camera moved around the room like a stalking panther, searching for any sign of life. Wonka spotted a glimmer to the left.
"Oh there! Point it there!"
The Oompa Loompa pulled the camera into the one TV present in the room. Lounged on its adjacent seat was Mike Teavee. He was slouched far into it, almost as he had been there for hours on end. His face bored and tired, he lazily clicked at the remote, flipping between channels.
Mr. Wonka leaned back into his chair. "Well," he began, "I think we've found the slacker in our group, hm?" he said softly, almost to himself.
Mike heaved a sigh and fell even further into the white seat. "I've finished cleaning them, if that's what your at." He said.
Wonka's ears perked up in surprise. He must've noticed the camera. He squirmed in his chair and leaned into the screen. "Now listen here, you-"
He stopped himself in mid-sentence, realizing Mike couldn't hear a word he was at anyway. He flailed a moment, "Go send some Oompa Loompa's in there and have him get back to work!" The Oompa next to him nodded and hopped from his perch and scurried over to the door.
"Threaten him with a Scozmangler attack if he doesn't budge!" he yelled to the Oompa as he made his way out. Willy Wonka's face was scrunched into a frown.
"Bother." He stated to himself.
Before he could check on the other kids, there was a faint knock at the door.
"Come in…" Wonka responded.
Charlie entered into the room. He held a clipboard close to his chest, a worried look in his eyes.
"Mr. Wonka sir, I came to speak to you about something." He said softly, making his way next to the chocolatier. Wonka waved his palm to the stool the Oompa had once graced.
"Sit."
Charlie nodded and took a seat next to him. "Mr. Wonka, it's about your four new employees." He trailed off, seeing as Wonka wasn't paying quite enough attention to him. His eyes were still fixated on the many screens. Charlie paused and continued talking to (what seemed like) himself.
"I don't feel as if they'd be a good asset to the company, sir."
Wonka had now began to lick the tip of his gloved-finger and polish off a smudge on a small television screen. He worked at is feverishly while the annoyed Charlie continued.
"And quite frankly, I don't think there to be trusted…"
Before Charlie could finish the statement, Wonka had reached over him and was rubbing a thumb across another television screen. His brow was furrowed, "Doesn't any one ever clean up around here. Goodness!"
Charlie was now immensely annoyed. "Mr. Wonka have you heard a single word I've said?" he asked.
Wonka didn't even bother to look at him. "Yes, of course boy. You don't trust them, bad asset, blee-dee-dee-blah-dee-dee-BLORP." He moved two screens up and was now using his elbow to get rid of the large smudges, focused intently on getting the screens clean.
"Well could you at least show some interest sir? I feel like I'm…"
Before another word could escape his lips, Ms. Corwall had just barged in. She was panting heavily, leaning against the doorway for support. Charlie spun around whilst Wonka merely looked and blinked. "Mr. Bucket, the filing cabinets are acting up again." He gulped in some air, "one almost took my pinkie." She lifted up her hand to show the glove she wore missing its last finger.
Charlie sighed. "Looks like there hungry again. I apologize." He sat up and walked over to the door. "I'll take care of feeding the cabinets," he turned back to Wonka, "See if he needs any of your help, would you?"
Charlie stepped out of the room, leaving Ms. Corwall and Wonka alone.
Although she wouldn't admit it, Mr. Wonka gave her the creeps. He was odd and childish and well, just not right in the head. She gulped and (not knowing what else to do) did a little bow of courtesy. Wonka blinked confused.
"No need for Japanese manners, my dear." His confused look now replaced with a smile.
"Is there something you need?" he asked.
She straightened herself up and looked away, as not to make awkward eye contact.
"Well sir, I was just about to ask you the same thing."
When she turned her head back around to see his reaction, she found herself looking to the back of his head. His attention back on the television screens.
"Dear me…" he scratched the top of his head.
On and monitor in front of him was the Television Room again. Still in the same condition, Mike Teavee in the same seat he was in a few minutes ago, and a set of 10 Oompa Loompas tied with a rope in the corner of the room. There faces miserable.
"Looks like I'll need a back-up crew." He turned back around and jumped a bit, seeing Ms. Corwall standing blank-faced in the same spot he left her.
"Oh…" he began, catching his breath a bit, "Your still here…"
She nodded. "Yes sir, I was still wondering if there was anything you needed me to do."
Wonka blinked and turned back to the screen, then back to her again.
"Well, now that you mention it…" he stroked his chin, "There is something I need done, if you don't mind."
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Ms. Corwall found herself being recklessly thrown about the glass elevator. It's rapid downward shifts made her scream out in sheer terror. She tried to hold onto something, but her fingertips merely slipped off the glass like a gecko without climbing pads.
Her ears were now banging as she was sent tumbling down the tower of fireworks. As she tried to readjust her eardrums she was sent zooming to the left and was now smashed up against the side of the elevator.
As the glass elevator made its way to the dome shaped Television Room cell, it made now slow stop, but a quick jolting halt. The door made a cheery ding of "We Have Arrived!" and slid open its doors.
Ms. Corwall clawed her way out back onto solid ground. Her hair a bird's nest and her tank top strap hanging loosely over her shoulder. Her face was in a look of terror as she slumped belly-up onto the ground.
Hearing all the commotion, Mike had looked over his shoulder to see Ms. Corwall in a battered heap. He paid it no mind and went back to flipping through the channels.
Ms. Corwall, slowly beginning to regain her strength, pulled herself off the ground and eased her way to Mike, using the walls as a support system. Her legs still woobly, she didn't make it very far before collapsing to her knees. She slouched onto her bum.
"Christ." She said to herself.
Mike hadn't made a move to help her off her feet, still clicking at the remote with his thumb. The Oompa Loompas (still tied in the corner) were looking on in pain wondering why Wonka couldn't have sent anyone more capable on this rescue mission.
A determined look on her face, Ms. Corwall used all her strength to get back onto her two feet. She breathed a sigh before straightening herself up and walking over to the TV. She stumbled a bit, but made it to her destination, right smack dab in front of the monitor.
Mike's pupils looked upwards to the woman's face.
"Do you mind?" he asked, in a bored tone.
"Actually, yes I do." She puffed out her chest. Ms. Corwall wasn't one to bark orders, she was much more of a follower, but being in front of a peer made it a little more easy on her.
Mike re-adjusted himself in his seat, tucking his legs underneath him. He placed his left elbow on the arm rest and leaned his head onto his palm. He heaved a sigh and lidded his eyes half-way.
"I'm not moving until you do."
Her eyes widened a bit. Was he fighting back?
She put her hands on her hips ( in a fidgeting manor ) "I-it's Mr. Wonka's orders." She stuttered.
Mike's mouth was now covered by his palm, his eyes still on her.
"You can tell him I've cleaned every TV and that there in the boxes in the storage room, just like he asked." He muffled.
Her eyes were now worried. She really wasn't a fan of confrontation.
"But Mr. Teavee, I must insist that you do SOMETHING to please Mr. Wonka." She said, almost begging.
He had now shut his eyes and breathed deeply from his nostrils, like in deep concentration. He opened his eyes again and stared back directly at her.
"Alright. What's he want."
Ms. Corwall blinked in shock, surprised he had given up the fight so easily. She smiled happily victorious.
"Well…well he…" she paused a moment. She had absolutely no idea what Mr. Wonka had intended Mike to do. It hadn't even crossed her mind that she'd get THIS far.
"I'm not to sure." She blushed.
Mike chuckled and rested his ear onto his palm. "Your not so much of an intern, are you?"
She furrowed her brow, "That's not true!" she huffed, face still flushed.
Mike lifted himself from the chair, still chuckling to himself, and walked over in front of her.
Surprised as he was making his way over, she began to inch backwards, nudging the white TV with her bum.
Mike stopped a few inches away from her face. He leaned down a bit to reach her eye level, a vicious smile on his face.
"How bout growing some balls before you confront someone, hm?"
She caught his warm breath on her nose, it smelled of Hot Cheetos. She pawed at the TV with the tips of her fingers, frightened from what he might do to her. She winced a bit, but he merely laughed.
He leaned back up and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"How about I start with freeing those Oompa Loompas." He leaned his head in the direction of the tied tiny men.
Ms. Corwall had opened her eyes cautiously, now seeing Mike at his full height. Her heart was still beating feverishly.
"Y-Yes," she stuttered, gulping down more air, "That would be good."
Mike smiled and stepped off the platform and down to where the Oompa Loompa's were tied.
Ms. Corwall watched him as he knelt down to untie his messy bow-knot. She cocked her head to the side as she gazed at his boxers, imprinted with gray Nintendo controllers. She felt her face grow hot.
The Oompa Loompa's all began to file out of the room (but not before one got a clear shot of Mike's shin. He merely winced in pain) and the boy turned his head back to Ms. Corwall.
"Anything else?" he asked.
She tilted her head back vertically and snapped out of a daydream. Her cheeks tinted red.
You can kiss me.
"N-No, nothing Mr. Teavee. That will do." She clasped her hands behind her back. What was she thinking? A kiss? She must've been out of her mind. She didn't even know the guy! Her fingers were now beginning to do circles around the others.
Mike used his knees for support and lifted himself from ground level. He fiddled with his spiky hair and the top sprung up in a nice wave.
"Mr. Teavee is my dad. You can call me Mike." He smiled a crooked smile before turning around and striding off towards the glass elevator.
Ms. Corwall's eyes trailed his rear. She bit her lip.
"W-wait!" she called out to him.
Mike stopped mid step. He turned a heal and eyed her intently.
"My name's Shyla." She said, in almost a whisper. Her face still a faint red.
He did nothing but grin, before turning back around and stepping into the glass elevator.
Alone once more, Shyla fidgeted with her skirt. She stepped over to the seat Mike was just in, and sat down herself. It was a rather hard seat, and she used the armrest to find her comfort zone. As her fingers grasped its front, they came in contact with a strange grainy matter. She lifted her palm to spot dots of red Cheetos crumbs.
She blinked and wiped them on her skirt, sighing.
Employee relationships never looked good on a resume.
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Thanks to all who have been reviewing, it's good to know there are people out there who read your stuff!
Next chapter I promise more blossoming romance and a bit more on what the other kids are up to in the factory. So stay tuned!